Chateau de Lancyre Pic Saint-Loup Vieilles Vignes, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

蘭克瑞酒莊圣露普老藤紅葡萄酒

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：5038

Lancyre’s 2008 Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup Vieilles Vignes – even tasted right after the rather astringent corresponding 2009 – proved slightly choked-up by its tannin and less clear in fruit than I would have expected, especially given the performance of this vintage’s Coste d’Aleyrac bottling. Tart-edged cherry and marginally ripe black raspberry with prominence of their pits and seeds segue into the tannic impingement, while a suggestion of crushed stone adds depth at the price of some austerity. This grips, but without the energy and refreshment afforded by its ostensibly lesser sibling. Perhaps there will be better days for this cuvee but I would approach it warily if hanging on to bottles for more than a couple more years. Regis Valentin once again displayed many successes across a stylistically diverse range. The 2009s here are however mildly disappointing – a circumstance not unfamiliar from Pic Saint-Loup – especially when directly compared with results from 2008, whose October harvest of Syrah, incidentally, was the latest in the estate’s history. As so often, though, 2010 is especially exciting, and the young reds from this vintage were already too deliciously expressive for me to resist publishing notes. Re-tasting the 2007 reds – on which I had last reported before bottling in issue 183 – they remain impressive (with the exception of the Grande Cuvee, now performing on the lower side of my pre-bottling projection), although their bitter elements and tannin were somewhat enhanced, and I re-rated both the Coste d’Aleyrac and Vieilles Vignes 90 points. Valentin graciously consented on this occasion to my request to taste some older vintages of his Roussanne – bottles of which I was thrilled to discover that he indeed cellars, and that you and I should, too!Imported by Handpicked Selections, Warrenton, VA; tel. (540) 347 9400